Rising Share of Women Have No Children

Significantly more American women are now ending their childbearing years without having borne a child than was the case 30 years ago. In 2008, 1.9 million women ages 40-44 were childless, compared with nearly 580,000 in 1976. This works out to roughly one-in-five childless women (18%) ages 40-44 today, up from just 10% in the 1970s. The most educated women still are among the most likely never to have had a child, but as a notable exception to the trend, women with advanced degrees are less likely to be childless in 2008 (24%) than in 1994 (31%). Similarly, women who have never married are most likely to be childless, but their rates have declined over the past decade. White women are most likely not to have borne a child. But over the past decade, childless rates have risen more rapidly for black, Hispanic and Asian women, so the racial gap has narrowed. Read More

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About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.